Learn & Teach

Each academic year, students in 5th grade are chosen to become part of an exciting 7-year extracurricular educational relationship with the Museum. This starts in the summer between 5th and 6th grade and continues through the end of 12th grade. These students will experience the Museum through science classes incorporating hands-on exploration, behind-the-scenes adventures, meetings with scientists, and content-rich programming. The Lang Science Program focuses on the sciences studied at the Museum – biology (biodiversity, evolution, genetics, conservation, and more), anthropology (cultural, human evolution, archaeology, and linguistics), and physical sciences (astronomy, Earth science, planetary science). Students will also design their own research projects, learn about Museum exhibits, and start preparing for college and careers.

The program begins with a 3-week summer program based at the Museum and continues into the school year with classes on 18 Saturdays from October to June (approximately twice per month). This alternating summer/school year cycle continues for 7 years, and concludes with the students' graduation from high school.

The 2015 application period is now closed. Selected families will be asked to come in and interview.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at either Lang@amnh.org (preferred) or by phone at 212-313-7172.

PRESS

EdLab at Columbia University's Teachers College visited Lang in the summer of 2013 and made this video.

Lang students participated in NASA's MoonKAM project. Learn more in this video.

Read about Henry Lim, who was a winner in the 2011 Young Naturalist Awards. For a New York Times article on Henry's work, please click here.

For an article in the AMNH Members magazine, Rotunda, from March/April 2010, please click

CREDITS

The Museum's Youth Initiatives are generously supported by the leadership contribution of

The AMNH Lang Science Program and Lang Scholar Awards were conceived by and established with founding supportfrom the Eugene M. Lang Foundation.

Complimentary test preparation and college admissions support for program participants is generously provided by

Essential Info

Application Closed

Cost:

A very generous number of FULL SCHOLARSHIPS to the program are available, based on financial need. For those that do not qualify, the full cost of the program is $2000/year. Your ability to pay will NOT be a factor in determining acceptance into the program.

A student in the Comparative Biology doctoral program at the Museum’s Richard Gilder Graduate School (RGGS), Watanabe was recently chosen to be one of the beta-testers for Google Glass, a hands-free wearable computer.

For an extraordinary group of New York City students, going to class means passing a Neanderthal skeleton, a 94-foot-long model of a blue whale, and a family of brown bears — and that’s just on the first floor.

These are the 13 students now enrolled in the Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History, which in 2006 became the only American museum—and the first museum in the Western Hemisphere—with the authority to grant the Ph.D. degree. In 2008, the Museum made history by enrolling its first class. Just last year, the New York State Board of Regents granted full institutional accreditation to the Richard Gilder Graduate School, a landmark decision that recognized the strength of the new program and the Museum’s long track record of training graduate students in partnership with leading institutions that include Columbia University, New York University, Cornell University, City University of New York, and Stony Brook University.

The Museum’s new Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program is the first urban teacher residency program offered by a museum and a unique 15-month teaching fellowship for people who want to share their passion for science with middle and high school students in New York State. On Saturday, January 7, the Museum will host an Open House for the program from noon to 2 pm or 2 to 4 pm, giving prospective applicants the chance to meet faculty and staff, find out more about how the MAT program is structured, and take behind-the-scenes tours of the Museum campus before the final application deadline on January 31. MAT Program Co-Director Ro Kinzler, who is also the director of the Museum’s National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology (NCSLT),recently answered a few questions about this unique opportunity.

Why has the MAT program been created now?

New York State recently issued the opportunity for “non-traditional” institutions to offer master in education programs designed to prepare teachers in high-need areas for the first time—so the Museum has stepped up to meet this opportunity.

What type of applicant is the program seeking?

The program is seeking individuals with undergraduate or higher degrees in Earth and related sciences. We’re looking for recent graduates as well as folks already into their careers who are motivated to switch gears and become Earth science teachers for grades 7 through 12.